SWNOVELS Downpour: Chapter 29
“She looks good up there, doesn’t she?” I said, watching from the edge of the outdoor riding arena.
Brooke had tacked up Indy for the inaugural ride in the new arena. CJ’s boys had finished the fencing two days prior, and a truckload of sand had been brought in first thing this morning. Brooke had insisted we come down to watch it get graded out.
CJ sided up to me and rested his elbows on top of the fence. “Real natural. I haven’t seen someone take to a horse like that since Bree.”
Brooke’s long hair whipped in the wind as she and Indy kicked up to a canter. Her smile was infectious.
“Yeah, I always thought Bree would get competitive with it. I was kinda surprised when she didn’t want to.”
“Chris put the girls in activities outside of the ranch so they wouldn’t feel like this was a foregone conclusion for them,” he said. “Besides, now she’s got that boy she’s been asking about.”
I let out a low growl at the thought of some prick with raging teenage hormones getting anywhere near Bree. “Let him come around. It’s less suspicious if he brings the body to us.”
CJ laughed. “How’s the job hunt going for her?” he asked as he tipped his head toward Brooke.
“Nothing yet. Not many places are hiring. I was hoping she’d get the receptionist spot at my PT office, but they gave it to someone else.”
“Cass come through with any leads?”
“Not yet. I know it’s driving Brooke crazy. She asked if I thought you wanted help working cattle this morning.”
CJ chuckled. “Respectfully, no. As much as I like her, I don’t let outsiders near my cattle. Cass knows it. Becks knows it, too.”
Hooves pounded the ground, growing closer and closer until we were engulfed in the shadow of a horse that stood sixteen hands high.
“How’s it feel?” CJ asked Brooke as he shaded his eyes from the sun.
She brushed her hair out of her face and propped her hands up on her hips. “Good. Still not as fun as a full gallop through the pastures, but if my opinion means anything, I think it’s a good setup for the equine program. Big enough to get a good speed if you want to or stay slow and have a few horses in at once.” She smoothed her hand down my horse’s mane. “Indy seems to like it.”
Indy dropped her head over the edge of the fence, sniffing around in my direction.
I leaned out the side of the golf cart and gave her a treat. “You gotta take care of my girl. Alright, In?”
Brooke laid forward and rested her arms and chest on the back of Indy’s neck. “I think we get along just fine.”
I chuckled. “I know. But she can get a little sassy and headstrong sometimes. You gotta remind her that you’re in control.”
Brooke grinned. “So can you, and I handle you just fine.”
CJ snickered. “You gonna take one of the new horses out when you’re done busting Ray’s balls?”
Brooke’s eyebrows lifted. “Can I?”
“They need to get used to being ridden by different people if they’re gonna be used for the equine program. I gotta head out, but Christian might be around to help.”
“I’ll stick around,” I said.
CJ looked surprised. “Are you sure?”
I shrugged. “She knows how to tack them up and down. I’ll guide her through any hang ups.”
“Alright.” CJ pushed off the fence. “See y’all at Momma’s for dinner.”
“Do you need some water or anything?” I asked Brooke when CJ disappeared.
“I’m fine,” she said as she removed the elastic band from her wrist and tied her hair back. “I’ll probably call it a day soon. I’ll need to shower if we’re going to your parents’ house for dinner.”
I leaned back in the golf cart seat and took a moment to admire her beautiful legs. Goddamn. Brooke had the most attractive legs I’d ever seen.
I adjusted my cock. “My shower is plenty big for both of us. We can save time and shower together.”
Brooke laughed. “I meant that I actually need to get clean and wash my hair.”
“I can help with that.”
She snorted. Or was that the horse? Actually, it was both. I hated that my girls were ganging up on me.
Brooke took hold of the reins. “A little longer, then I’ll be done.”
“Or you could be done now, and we’d have plenty of time for that extra-long shower.”
She smiled. “You’re not my boss anymore. I’ll be done when I’m done.”
Brooke looked radiant as she rode away. Indy broke into a quick gallop that made my heart skip a beat.
What if Brooke fell? What if Indy got spooked and bucked? What if they got too confident on the sand and took a tumble on a turn? Brooke could break a bone. She could get a concussion. Or worse, she could—
“Ready?”
I blinked. Brooke was on her feet, walking alongside Indy and leading her out of the area.
“What?”
“You looked like you drifted off on my second lap.” She laughed. “Was I that boring?”
I swallowed my pride and shook my head. “No, you just startled me. That’s all.”
Her expression softened. “How about I get Indy untacked and meet you at the house for that shower?”
But instead of going our separate ways, I followed her to the barn in the golf cart. I didn’t think she’d want to walk back to my house after being out in the sun for most of the afternoon.
Brooke was calm and focused as she went through the motions of removing Indy’s tack. She didn’t miss a beat in getting my horse comfortable before brushing her down and examining her.
Once everything was finished, Brooke sank into the golf cart seat beside me.
“I’m going to need a pre-dinner dinner,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Go take your shower, and I’ll make you a snack.”
She beamed. “My hero.”
“So, um…I spoke to Marty today,” I confessed when I felt like we were far enough away from the barns and warehouses that no one could overhear us.
Brooke looked up at me. “Really? About what?”
“Sorting through some of the requests that Cass has been fielding. He said he’d negotiate the deals if I wanted to jump on them.”
“That’s great!”
I shrugged. “It might not be steady work, but it’ll be a few things here and there.”
She snickered. “Not all of us can be millionaires, I suppose.”
I parked in front of the house and kissed her temple. “Come on.”
While Brooke rinsed off and changed her clothes for dinner, I sat at the kitchen table and scrolled through a few of the emails Marty and Cass had shoved into my inbox.
If I was being honest, I didn’t have a single desire to rehash my accident in some memoir that would end up on Dollar Store shelves in five years. I didn’t want to go on some speaking tour. That sounded miserable. I didn’t want to be “inspiration porn” for bored corporate types looking to motivate their teams.
A few minutes later, we were back in the golf cart, heading to Momma’s house.
Driving with my hands instead of my feet was a learning curve, but it wasn’t too bad. I liked being able to get around and see what everyone was up to—especially since Brooke had become something of a permanent fixture in everyone’s lives.
She baked with my mom. She babysat my littlest niece and hung out with Bree and Gracie so their parents could go out on dates. But she had made herself most at home with the animals.
I was half-convinced she was one of those movie princesses who could make birds and mice sew dresses for her. The horses and cows seemed to like her. Even that asshole barn cat had come around and would weave between her ankles when she came and went.
I loved how easily she assimilated into ranch life. Into my life.
The smell of shellfish and spices wafted out of the main house as we parked. Most of the family was already seated at the long table. It had been covered with newspaper instead of a tablecloth.
The mountain of potatoes, corn, sausage, and crawdads made my mouth water.
“Alright, y’all. Lowcountry boil tonight,” Momma said as she wiped her hands on a towel. “Pull up a chair and get to eating. I didn’t make all this food for y’all to look at it all night.”
Brooke went to move one of the kitchen chairs out of the way for me, but I caught her hand.
“That’s alright, baby. I’ll just sit there tonight.”
Her lips parted in surprise, but she kept her tone quiet. “You sure?”
Christian and his brood spilled through the door, fashionably late.
I cupped my hands behind my left knee and lifted it off the footrest and onto the ground.
Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing as I repeated the process with my right leg. Brooke slid her hand into mine as I slowly rose to my feet and held onto her for balance.
A pin dropping would have sounded like a gunshot as I shuffled toward the table.
I lost my balance the moment I was within arm’s reach of the table. I grabbed the edge and refused to let go. Brooke lifted our clasped hands a little higher to give me leverage to slowly lower into the chair rather than dropping like a sack of potatoes.
“And there’s my workout for the day,” I said when I was seated. I pulled the chair out beside me for Brooke. “Let’s eat.”
She pushed my wheelchair aside and sat down next to me.
Nate looked at me as if I’d just walked on water. “So, are we just going to ignore what just happened?”
“I’m hungry.” I glanced at Brooke, who was fighting back a smile. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Fine. Stuff your faces. But get ready to talk with your mouth full,” CJ said as he reached into the pile of food on the table. “Because what the hell was that? How long have you been able to fucking walk, dude?”
“Watch your language, Carson James,” mom scolded, tears welling up in her eyes. She pointed her spatula at me. “You have some explaining to do, young man.”
“I’ve been working on it in physical therapy.”
“For how long?!” Christian shouted.
Everyone fell silent.
Cassandra’s jaw dropped. “Did you just raise your voice? I think that’s more shocking than Ray walking.”
I filled up my paper plate with potatoes, crawdads, and corn. Brooke grabbed some crawdads, corn, and sausage.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” I said. “I can shuffle a few feet and that’s it.”
Bree settled into the chair next to Brooke. “So that means you still need to use your wheelchair?”
Brooke chimed in since my mouth was full. “It’s called being an ambulatory wheelchair user. But Ray is still considered paraplegic.”
I gave her thigh a grateful squeeze.
Gracie reached for an ear of corn. “So, it’s not all or nothing?”
I shook my head. “It’s not all or nothing. Very few things in life are.”
The conversation quickly shifted to the progress of the lodge and restaurant. Cassandra had been caught in the middle between the investors of the development, the local authorities who believed they had a say in the property’s easement, and the construction crews.
It was a logistical nightmare.
“How close are we to launching the equine program?” I asked.
Cassandra wiped her lips. “The website and social media platforms are ready, but I’m waiting until I finalize the program schedule.”
Becks frowned. “Why haven’t you finalized the schedule yet?”
Cassandra pointed at Christian and CJ. “Until I can get those two to set aside time in their schedules to run the program, progress will be slow.”
“I can help if you need an extra hand,” Brooke offered as she refilled her plate from the pile in the middle. “I don’t have much else going on at the moment.”
CJ glanced at Cassandra. “She’s the one I would hire for it.”
“High praise from Mr. Nobody Sets Foot on My Ranch,” I teased.
“I’m just saying,” CJ replied. “If someone has to do it, it should be her.”
“It’s not just hanging out in the barn all day,” Cassandra countered.
Brooke’s eyes ping-ponged between them.
Cassandra looked from CJ to Brooke. “I need someone who can schedule boarding and grooming appointments, coordinate with the farrier and veterinarian, set up and run beginner programs, and be the ranch’s liaison for school field trips—”
“We’re having field trips?” Brooke gasped.
I loved the “we” that came out of her mouth.
Christian looked at Cass. “I think we found our hire.”
Brooke crossed her fingers under the table.
I sat back and draped my arm over her shoulders. “As her former employer, I’m happy to provide a letter of reference.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Of course you are.” She turned her terrifying gaze to Brooke. “My office. Tomorrow. Nine in the morning. Don’t be late. Be prepared to sit still and learn the scheduling software. And I do not tolerate small talk.”
Brooke smirked. “I think you’ll come around.”
Cassandra glared. “I guarantee you, I will not.”
Christian lifted his beer to Brooke. “Welcome to the ranch.”
Brooke glowed as everyone raised their glasses and toasted her. I tapped my glass against hers. “I wouldn’t want you anywhere else.”